The United States' first-in-the-nation primary will be held on Tuesday, January 23, 2024, in New Hampshire, since this state's law requires primaries to be held earlier than in other federal states. As for eligible voters, registered Republicans and Democrats may vote in their own primaries, but independent voters may also participate by requesting a Republican or Democratic ballot.
In the Republican race, the New Hampshire primaries will be the first opportunity for the most notable candidates, former US President Donald Trump and ex-US Ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley to go one-on-one and test their political strength after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis dropped out of the presidential race on Sunday. According to the latest polls, both candidates have gained supporters in New Hampshire recently. Donald Trump is looking to New Hampshire, the state that first pushed him toward the Republican nomination in 2016, expecting it to bring him victory once again, which is not unlikely to happen, as polls show the former president has the support of about 50% of voters in the Granite State. On the other hand, Haley is polling between 34% and 39%. There are 22 delegates at stake for Republicans and they will be allocated on a proportional basis, subject to the condition that the candidate obtains at least 10% of the votes at the state level.
As for the Democratic Party primaries, the most important thing to know is that the name of the current US president Joe Biden will not be on the New Hampshire ballot as a sign of protest, as the Democratic National Committee insisted on the state of South Carolina being the first to hold the primaries because the Democrats have a more diversified voting base there, and the New Hampshire’s government rejected to hand over its first primary status. The Democratic ballot will have 21 names, but will also include the option for voters to add the name of a desired Democratic Party candidate. In addition, no delegate will be awarded based on the results of this election, as it violates the Democratic scheduling rules.
